"Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always two-ply? A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow." Communist jokes are the strangest, funniest, and perhaps the most meaningful legacy of the 80 years of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe. The valiant and sardonic citizens of the former Communist countries turned jokes into an art form, using them as a coded way of speaking the truth and coping with the absurdity of the system. In this poignant and historically revealing book, rare and previously unpublished archive material—cartoons, caricatures, photographs, and oral transcripts—take the reader on a unique journey through the real experience of the Communist era.

"Charming, highly original, elegantly written and valuable piece of cultural history.... This is a very funny book. Like the best Communist jokes, it is funniest when it is grimmest."—Spectator (UK)